Door hinge



Jan. 16, 1951 A. FOLTlS DOOR HINGE Eiled Feb. l1, 1947 Patented Jan. 16, 1.951

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention is an improvementl in hinges for doors and other members supported to swing about vertical axes; and particularly a hinge for automatically returning a door to closed position after it has been opened.

An important object of the invention is to provide a type of hinge designed to store up energy when the door, for example, which it supports-is swung aside; and to expend this energy to impel the door in the opposite direction as soon as it is released; the hinge comprising parts which preferably are designed to enclose a body of air acting as a pneumatic cushion, for retarding the reverse motion of the door to prevent jarring or slamming.

A further object of this invention is to provide a hinge of this type that is simple in its construction, certain and efficient in operation; and embracing relatively few parts, so that it can be easily and inexpensively produced.

The nature and advantages of the invention are made clear in the following specication, and the novel features are defined in the appended claims. This disclosure, however, is explanatory only, and various changes may be made in practice without deviating from the principle of the invention or exceeding its scope.

On the drawings,

Figure 1 is atop View of a hinge according to this invention in operative position.

Figure 2 is a front elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is a side elevation thereof.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4--4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a horizontal section on line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a vertical elevation of the construction of Figure l, showing the parts of the hinge as they appear when the door or the like has been opened, viewed from the right of Figure 1.

Figure 6a is a detail showing a modification of the hinge.

The hinge is made up in two halves, one of which bears a tubular section or bearing I, and the other a pair of tubular sections or bearings 2; and the halves are connected with the bearings 2 and the bearing I in alinement, the latter being in between the bearings 2. The bearing cr section I is made integral with a fiat leaf 3, te which it is united near the middle of one edge; and similarly the bearings 2 of the other half are united to one edge of a leaf 4. The leaf 4 is secured to the inside face of the frame or jamb 5 of a doorway, window opening or the like, and the leaf 3 of the other half is similarly aixed to the edge of the door, window or other member 6, which is to be mounted by means of said hinges. A part of the wall containing the doorway or window opening, is indicated by the numeral l. Both the leaves 3 and 4 t into recesses on the adjacent faces of the frame 5 and member Ii, so as to be flush with these faces when secured in position. When the door or window is closed the two halves of the hinge are in the position indicated in Figures 1 and 2, and when the door or window is opened, the two halves of the hinge are unfolded or distended, as indicated in Figure 6. Inside the bearings I and 2 is a tubular element 8 which, among other things, serves the same purpose as a hinge pin and connects the two halves of the hinge in pivoted relation. This element 8 can turn freely in the section or bearing I, but it is anchored and held rigid with respect to the bearings 2 by a binding screw 9 in at least one of the bearings 2. The element 8 is in the form of a hollow tubular casing and also serves as a pump cylinder within which is a piston or plunger having ends I0 and I i connected by a somewhat reduced neck I2. In the side of the part II of this piston' is aixed a stud or screw I3 which projects out through a longitudinal slot I4 on one side of the element 8; and this stud or screw head I3 is also received in a spiral or inclined cam slot I5 in the bearing- I. Hence, whenever the bearingr I of the hinge' is turned on the element 8 as a journal, the slot I5 will cause the piston to move axially within the "element 8 and this movement will carry the pin I3 lengthwise in the slot I4, and in an upward direction when the door is opened.

The one end II of the piston is normally disposed in the element 8 so that it lies about the middle of this element adjacent the bearing I. The other end I0 is near the end of the element which will be the lower end when the hinge is mounted. This end carries a pair of packing rings I6 vin grooved seats formed in the end I0; and this end Il) has an open recess Il terminating in a, cone-shaped seat for a ball valve I8, which is held against the seat by a suitable spring retained in the recess Il by any suitable means. Communicating with the seat is a duct or passage I9. It leads to several ports 28, connected to the inner end of the passage I9 and all open'through the lateral face of the reduced neck I2 of the piston. At the lower end the element 8 is internally threaded to receive a screw cap 2l which closes the element and the bottom of the lower bearing 2, and this cap has a small air port 22 therein. The upper end of the element and upper bearing 2 are similarly closed by a screw cap 23, which has a recess on its inner face to receive and seat a coil spring 2li, which normally presses against the end I I of the piston and tends to force the latter towards the cap 2|.

When the door 6, for example, is opened as by revolving counterclockwise in Figure 1, or to the right in Figure 2, the one half of the hinge is turned so that the bearing I and leaf 3 revolve with respect to the bearings 2, and the slot I lifts the piston by `reason of its action on the stud I3, which is free to slide upward in the straight slot I4 in the side of the element B. While the piston is thus being lifted the spring 24 is compressed; and the ball valve I3 is unseated and air passes through the ports and duct I9 into the lower part of the element 8 below the piston. The air in the lower part of the element 8 below the piston is rarefied somewhat when the piston moves up because` the duct 22 is too small in size to permit the entrance of air rapidly enough from the atmosphere to maintain atmospheric pressure below the piston. When the piston has gone up far enough in the journal 8 so that its thinner middle part reaches and uncovers the lower end of the slot I5, air can be admitted into the space around the reduced part of the piston and this air hows through the ducts 20 and I9 and passes the valve I8 into the space below the piston in the journal 8. Hence, when the piston moves downward, there is enough air below it to cause the valver I8 to close and cushion the pistons movement and this air then escapes very slowly through the small duct 22. When the door is released the spring 24 impels the piston or plunger downward, and the action of the stud I3 on the lower inclined edge of the cam slot I5 now causes the leaf 3 of the hinge to turn towards folded position and swing the door shut, This operation is brought about very slowly, because the valve I8 is now closed and the air trapped in the lower part of the element 8 serves as a cushion or dash pot, resisting the downward motion of the piston, and is expelled little by little through the restricted opening 22. The door thus closes easily and without slammlllg- Figure 6a, shows a modication in which the lower cap has a port 26 which communicates with a recess 21 that has one or more passages 28 open to the atmosphere. Mounted in the bottom of this cap 25 is a pointed screw 29 by which the size of the opening 26 can be controlled.

The at leaves 3 and 4 of the hinge can be secured to the side of the frame and the door or window by screws or the like, shown at 30.

Having described my invention, what I believe to be, new is;

l. A hinge construction comprising two halves, one of which carries a cylindrical journal and the other means for pivotally connecting it to said journal, a piston in said journal, cam means carried by said other half to engage and move the piston, a spring in said journal to oppose the movement of the piston, and means for admitting ai-r to said journal,l said piston having a reduced portion between its ends, with a space between said portion and the inner surface of said journal, said piston having a valved passage in one end leading to said space.

2v. The hinge construction according to claim 1, wherein said cam means comprises an inclined slot in said other half, said journal having a longitudinal slot adjacent the cam slot, and the piston carries a stud which projects in both of said slots.

3. The hinge construction according to claim 1 wherein said air inlet means comprises an inlet valve which opens upon the movement of the piston against a spring, said construction having a vent for the escape ofl air upon the movement of the piston in the opposite direction.

ANESTIS FOLTIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the. le of this patent:

UNTED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 367,634 House et al. Aug. 2, 1887 424,613 Morris Apr. 1, 1890. 491,898 Lowe Feb. 14, 1893.

1,186,294 Diener June 6, 1916 1,888,543 siers Nev. 22,' 1,932 1,927,778 Hirakawa Sept. 19, 1933 

